


Seclusion

by Lady_Stardust7



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Sharing a Bed
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-09-05
Updated: 2017-09-26
Packaged: 2018-12-24 08:47:22
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 8,944
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12009216
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lady_Stardust7/pseuds/Lady_Stardust7
Summary: Belle French arrives at a secluded cabin in the Scottish Highlands, expecting to spend a week there by herself. What she doesn’t realise is that Euan Gold has had exactly the same idea.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I started booking a holiday in the Highlands when this sprang to mind, and I couldn't resist. This one's probably gonna be pretty short as it'll take place across a week, although I'm open to ideas if anybody has any. Hope you enjoy!

Despite the fifteen-hour flight, the constant chatter of people around her, and undoubtedly the impending jetlag, Belle already knew it was worth it. As she followed the vague directions that the taxi driver had given her to find the cabin she had booked, she took in the surroundings of the Scottish Highlands. There was so much to see that she almost didn’t want to blink, for fear of missing something. Mountains were placed in front of mountains, beneath clouds that hung so low that they left the rest to the imagination. Varying shades of green decorated the view for miles, as hundreds of trees blended together. Belle’s favourite part of all was the picture that was reflected into the lake below, causing the whole scene to feel as though she was inside a watercolour painting.

If she was being completely honest, she was happy it had turned out this way. Originally, the week she had booked in a cabin had been intended for her and Gaston’s honeymoon. The wedding had been called off the moment Belle realised that she didn’t love Gaston at all, that she was only marrying him because marriage and children and a mortgage were what you were _supposed_ to do. Her father had been midway through cancelling the wedding plans when she had told him to leave the honeymoon plans booked. After all, it would have been a shame to have cancelled an entire holiday, and a lack of a husband wouldn’t stop her from taking advantage of it. If anything, she was glad that she could listen to the stream of water and the rustling of leaves, rather than the rants of a man about low phone signal and an aching back.

Belle’s mind had wandered back to the book she had almost finished on the flight when she finally spotted the cabin. It sat on top of a hill overlooking steep cliffs and winding lochs underneath. Once outside, she dumped her luggage outside the front door, patting herself down in an attempt to locate the key. _Ah!_ There it was. She unlocked the door and pushed her bags inside with her foot, arms too knackered to take any more. She was just about to take a deep sigh after her long trek when she heard-

“Who’s there?”

The voice startled her. There wasn’t meant to be anybody here. Perhaps it was the owner of the cabin, come to give her a warm welcome. Her eyes found a man in a buttoned-up shirt and a tie, standing in the doorway to what she supposed was the bedroom. Judging from the expression he was wearing, he was equally as confused to see her.

“Uh, my name is Belle French. I’ve booked this cabin for the week on a honeymoon,” she replied. This answer did not seem to satisfy the man.

“Oh, have you now?” he said, rather condescendingly, in a thick Scottish brogue. “I was informed that the booking for this week had been cancelled.”

“Well, it was cancelled, but then the cancellation was cancelled. My dad started cancelling all of the honeymoon arrangements until I told him that I was still going, even though… well, even though I was going alone,” she replied, aware that she was rambling. She saw his eyes dart to her left hand – probably searching for the absence of a ring to make sense of the story. “Did you book for this week too?”

“No. I own this cabin. And if you _did_ – as you so eloquently put it, ‘cancel your cancellation’, what do you expect me to do, Miss French? I’ve set all of my affairs in order for the week, and my house is a four-hour drive from here.”

“And my house is a day’s flight from here!” she retorted, looking at him incredulously. “I’ve already paid to stay here for the week, and I’ve got nowhere else to go. You can’t kick me out now.”

“Yes, well, we’ll see about that,” he muttered, pulling out his phone and punching in the numbers. After a brief silence of waiting for the other end to pick up, he got straight to the point. “Yes, Honora? It’s Gold. Has my cabin been booked for guests this week?” There was a pause, and Belle could see the muscle in his jaw jumping. “Hmm. Well, that’s all very good and well, dearie, but you should have _mentioned_ that when I told you that I was going to _spend the week there!_ ” He hung up and sighed, snarling about the “bloody receptionist” under his breath.

Gold sat down on the armchair, eyes closed and pinching the bridge of his nose as if trying to gather his thoughts and form a plan. Belle remained stood in the doorway, awkwardly shifting her weight from one foot to the other as she wondered what the protocol was for a situation like this.

“Who goes on a honeymoon to Scotland anyway?” she heard him mumble, although she wasn’t sure if it was rhetorical. “Shouldn’t you be somewhere more romantic, like Rome or Paris?”

“Oh, I don’t know, what could be more romantic than being the only two people for miles, surrounded by nothing but nature?”

“And yet, you’re alone,” he noted. “So, tell me. What exactly do you plan to do for a week, by yourself, ‘surrounded by nothing but nature’?”

That was a good question. One of the reasons she and Gaston had chosen to stay in the middle of nowhere was so that they could have been in the middle of nowhere together. Now that aspect seemed to have fallen through. “Well, hiking? Maybe having a look at the book stores and cafes in a nearby village?” she said, weakly.

He shook his head again, laughing dryly. “Shoddy planning,” he said to himself. Belle suddenly felt a little silly, but she stood her ground indignantly.

“I don’t care what you think,” she said. “You can’t kick me out.”

There was a short silence, until he got to his feet and gave in.

“Fine,” he huffed. “I’ll just find my keys, then I’ll be out of your hair.”

As he fumbled around, grabbing his coat and collecting his belongings reluctantly, Belle felt a pang of guilt. The poor guy just wanted a holiday too, and it wasn’t his fault that his receptionist had failed to pass on the correct information.

“Wait,” she said. This put a halt to his movements, and he turned around expectantly. “I mean… you don’t have to leave. How many beds has this place got?”

“One.”

“Well, we could take it in turns on the sofa. I don’t want to come into your property and kick you out. We could just stay out of each other’s way. Maybe you could even give me some tips on what to do around here,” she suggested. Gold seemed to consider this.

He held his hand out to her and she shook it, albeit a little confused at the formality.

“My name is Euan Gold, by the way. That sounds like a fair proposition, as long as you don’t mind. You have paid for the week.”

“It’s fine,” she assured him, as she began unpacking her bags. Well, apparently, she was going to be spending her honeymoon with somebody after all.


	2. Chapter 2

“So, what did you have planned for the day?” asked Belle, towel-drying her hair as she walked out of the bathroom. Although a towel was safely wrapped around her body, Gold immediately turned red and looked away after the half glance he made towards her. She smirked as she continued her route to the bedroom to get dressed, and left a slight crack in the door so that they could carry on their conversation.

“Well,” he began, clearing his throat. “I didn’t have anything planned. But if you wanted, I could drive us over to Inverness. It’s only about twenty miles or so. We could have a wander down the high street, get something to eat by the coast.”

Belle almost tripped over the skirt she was putting on.

“You want to come with me?” she asked.

“Oh, er… I mean - if you don’t want me to, I could just do my own thing,” he stuttered. “I just thought it would be easier because it saves you spending a fortune on a taxi.”

“No, no,” she interrupted, popping her head through her shirt and coming back out to join him. “I’d love for you to come too. And Inverness is a great idea! Well, I’m all unpacked, let me just dry my hair and I’ll be ready.”

***

Soon enough, Belle and Gold had arrived in the small city. The car journey had been fairly easy, they had sunk into a comfortable silence whilst Belle had finished her book and Gold concentrated on reading the signs. He parked the car and Belle got out first, eager to see everything.

“First things first,” said Gold, pointing to an old-yet-classy looking building. “I think there’s a stop we need to make.”

She followed him through the entrance and immediately fell in love with the warmly-lit interior. Cluttered bookshelves filled to the brim, on every wall and in between. A spiral staircase led to the balcony above, which went all around the shop and consisted of yet more books. The smell of coffee from the in-store cafe teased her nostrils. She turned to Gold, who looked a little amused at her wonder.

“How did you know I like books?” she asked.

“You finished reading one in the car. I gathered you’d need to replace it. Have a browse, I’ll get us a hot drink,” he explained, before walking over to the barista.

Belle didn’t know where to begin, so she worked her way around from the entrance, studying each shelf in turn. Gold promptly returned with a coffee for them each, but soon the cups were empty and he instead found himself with a dozen books in hand while Belle continued her search.

“How are you going to narrow it down?” he questioned from somewhere behind the pile. Belle frowned slightly in confusion.

“Narrow what down?” she replied. She didn’t wait for an answer before she dived straight back into the bookshelf.

A quick trip back to the car was necessary in order to drop off the huge collection of books she had just bought. Once they were locked away, Belle looked back to Gold for what to do next. He was still massaging his biceps from the long haul.

“I sometimes get a little carried away,” she said, apologetically. He waved a hand in dismissal.

“It’s no matter. There’s a restaurant nearby, right beside a loch if you’re hungry. It does excellent Scotch pies,” he suggested, and Belle agreed.

They took a table outside by the loch, illuminated by candle light. Once the waiter had departed with their order, it was just the two of them, surrounded by the peaceful sound of water in the evening air.

“So, do you come to Inverness a lot?” she asked, resting her head on her hands as she studied the man before her.

“No. This is the second time, actually.”

“What do you normally do when you visit your cabin?”

“The reason I purchased that cabin was because it was _away_ from everything else, not because I wanted to _see_ everything else,” he said, dryly.

“So you just lock yourself away?”

“Basically,” he answered. “I normally keep myself busy. Work on little projects, catch up with some reading, that sort of thing. What about you, anyway? You live in Australia?”

“Originally I did, but my dad moved us to America years ago after my mum died, and we’ve been there ever since.”

“And what happened with your fiance, if you don’t mind me asking?”

Belle wasn’t sure if he was actually interested, or whether he was asking purely out of courtesy, or to avoid the awkward silence they would otherwise be in. But after the waiter had placed down their drinks, Gold looked straight back to her, as if he was hanging onto every word.

“It’s a long story… well, actually, it’s not,” she added, on second thought. “I don’t know. We were just very different people. I realised I was with him for the wrong reasons, and that wasn’t me. There’s more to life than… just settling down and closing your eyes.”

“Such as?”

“I want to see the world,” she said, her heart filling with excitement just at the thought. “I want to learn new things, meet new people. There are so many languages to learn, and so many sights to see. I don’t want to miss out on that, just for the sake of conventionality.”

“That’s very ambitious.”

“What about you? Have you got a wife?” she prompted, realising that she was spilling her personal life to a man she knew nothing about.

“A long time ago,” he admitted. “She left me, for somebody younger and more attractive.”

That surprised Belle - Gold wasn’t an unattractive man in the slightest. He clearly took care of himself, and the way that he held himself in a three-piece suit oozed confidence. If anything, his age added to his allure. He didn’t seem bothered or insecure about the situation, however - simply resigned, as if talking about somebody else’s wife.

“But you’re an attractive guy,” she argued. She hadn’t realised the potential weight of her words until she saw the affect it had on Gold, who blushed for the second time that day.

“Thank you, but apparently she didn’t think so,” he said, stiffly. “I have a son, too. His name is Neal, studying Literature in London.”

Belle loved the way that his eyes suddenly lit up when he mentioned Neal, and so she began to ask more about him. Soon, Gold seemed like a completely different person, smiling and reminiscing about his boy. He even pulled his phone out to show her photographs of him.

They continued smiling and exchanging casual details about their lives over their food, when Belle suddenly became aware of how dark it had become around them, and then came the realisation of how tired she was. She tried to stifle a yawn, not wanting Gold to think she was yawning at him. He noticed regardless.

“I bet you’re knackered,” he said. “This must be the middle of the night for you, what with the time zone you’re on. Come on, I’ll drive us back.”

They paid the bill and made their way back to Gold’s car. Once they were inside, the heating quickly warming them up, Belle felt herself drifting off. What felt like seconds later, she felt Gold tapping her gently, stirring her awake. He guided her back to the cabin and whilst she was getting changed in the bathroom, he sorted out the bedding. When she came out, he had the sofa all laid out and ready to sleep in.

“I’ll sleep here,” he announced. “You can have the bedroom. You look like you need a decent night’s sleep.” She smiled gratefully, and then he suddenly looked embarrassed as something dawned on him. “I, um… didn’t bring any pyjamas.”

At the look of shame on his face, Belle couldn’t help but burst into laughter. He looked like a child who had just admitted to drawing on the walls.

“In all fairness, I didn’t realise that I would be sharing my cabin with somebody else,” he said, defensively.

“It’s fine, Euan, it really is. I’ve seen it all before. I’m not gonna be offended if you sleep in your underwear,” she reassured him. He didn’t look much less embarrassed but he nodded. “If it makes you feel more comfortable, you could borrow one of my night gowns,” she teased, but he didn’t seem to find it funny.

“Goodnight,” he said, shortly, and she retired to the bedroom. Once the door was closed behind her and the light was off, she sank underneath the covers. The warmth soon enveloped her, and she appreciated the feel of the fresh linen against her skin. She was just on the verge of letting sleep take her once more when she heard a noisy huff from the living room.

She ignored it, and turned to go to sleep again. She allowed her mind to wander back to the cute cobblestone pavements they’d walked down earlier, and the beautiful way that the street lamps were reflected in the rippling loch as they tucked into their warm food. It was almost like she was there once again, when - the sound of springs and a loud huff intruded through her ears again.

She could hear Gold tossing and turning every thirty seconds or so, often with a loud sigh of discomfort to accompany it. Eventually, she’d had enough. She got out of bed, turned on the light and opened the door. Straight away, Gold looked up to see what was wrong.

“Is the sofa uncomfortable?” she asked, bleary eyes still struggling to adjust to the light. She could make out his guilty expression through the beam of light that escaped the bedroom.

“A little. Sorry, I’ll try and keep it down,” he mumbled.

“It’s a double bed in here. You can just come and share it, we’re both adults,” she suggested. He sat up properly whilst he considered it, giving her a brief glimpse of his chest as the covers slid off of it.

“Are you sure you don't mind?” he hesitated.

“‘Course not. Your back is probably gonna need the support of a comfortable mattress after you struggled to carry those books for me earlier,” she smirked.

“I didn’t struggle,” he grumbled, as he held his pillow over his torso and followed her into the bedroom. She almost joked about the vein in his forehead that had risen as he carried the books to his car, but decided against it. She couldn’t hurt the man’s ego when he was already feeling fragile about being in his boxer shorts.

“I don’t normally do this on the first date,” she joked, once they were underneath the covers together. She heard Gold chuckle next to her.

“Goodnight,” he repeated, and that was the last thing she heard before she finally fell asleep.

 

 


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gold and Belle have a rather awkward morning, a relaxing picnic then head back to watch a scary movie.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've had this chapter ready for so long but my new house doesn't have wifi! Hope you enjoy whilst I head back to an internetless house

Gold always slept better when he spent the night in his cabin. There was no need to set an alarm, and no traffic or drunkards making loud noises in the night like there was in the city. Last night had been no different. He woke up and stretched his body out, then froze at the realisation that something was touching his leg. He turned his head to see Belle, fast asleep and mouth slightly open, although somehow still managing to look rather attractive. Belle wasn’t the issue. Her hand resting on the bare skin of his inner thigh, however, was.

He sighed. He _knew_ something like this would happen. He couldn’t speak for Belle, but he was prone to moving in his sleep. Sharing a bed with somebody was bound to end with some crossovers between their sides, and the fact that it was with a stranger made that ten times more awkward.

He wasn’t entirely sure what to do. Moving her hand would risk waking her, and he didn’t want her to get the wrong idea at his hand holding hers on his thigh. On the other hand, he didn’t want her to wake up naturally and for them both to be aware that her hand was resting very close to somewhere inappropriate. He swallowed and decided on his course of action.

He slowly made to slide out of the bed, inch-by-inch, but the moment he felt the bristles of his hair move as her hand slid across it, he stopped, feeling electricity spread through his body. He remained still again and thought about his other options.

It was at that moment that Belle stirred, repositioning herself to somewhere entirely worse. Her wrist now rested on the certain part of his anatomy that he was trying to avoid her coming into contact with in the first place. He bit back a whimper and pushed his head back into his pillow as he felt himself immediately begin to harden. He tried to focus on something else - anything else - rather than where her hand was right now. The only thing that would be worse than her waking up to her hand resting on his cock would have been for her hand to be resting on his erect cock. Needless to say, his attempt at distracting himself didn’t work.

He was going to have to just take her hand outright and put it back on her side of the bed in one smooth motion – like ripping off a plaster. He was just gathering up the courage to do it, when-

“Oh!” He heard her gasp as she yanked her hand away. _Fuck._

_Feign sleep. Feign sleep._

He started breathing deeply as he turned his head to the other side, eyes remaining shut. He listened out for her movements, but she seemingly stayed very still for quite some time until he felt her weight lift off the bed and the bedroom door close behind her. He listened out until he heard her walk to the bathroom and turn the shower on before he let out a long breath.

_Nice one, Euan,_ he thought to himself. That literally could not have been more mortifying. Maybe he should just travel back to Glasgow whilst she was taking a shower, they need never see each other again.

He got out of bed and got dressed with the realisation that he was just going to have to get on with the day. If he didn’t make eye contact with her then maybe the issue would never be touched upon again. He walked into the kitchen to make breakfast, and was just dishing up the bacon when she came out of the bathroom.

“Ooh, you made breakfast!” she said, smiling as she took a seat at the table. “What is that?”

“This is a full Scottish breakfast,” he replied, sitting opposite her and tucking into his own meal. “And that’s haggis, a true Scottish delicacy. Give it a try. It’s good.”

She surveyed it with interest and popped a bit in her mouth.

“Oh! That is good,” she agreed, going for another bite. “What’s in it?”

“I’m not saying, it’ll put you off of it.”

“What?” she spluttered. “You can’t say that! That’s put me off it already. What’s in it?”

He tried not to laugh at that, but it escaped him anyway.

“It’s – ah, sheep’s heart and lungs encased in its stomach, with onions and a few herbs and spices,” he answered.

She looked at him for a moment, once again analysing the contents of her fork. She took another mouthful of it but grimaced, and Gold chuckled.

“Told you,” he said. They tucked into their breakfasts and they fell into silence. Gold’s mind drifted back to that morning and he had a feeling from the way she was looking down that hers had too.

“How did you sleep?” he asked, then inwardly cringed when he realised that probably hadn’t taken their minds off it at all.

“Yeah, uh, good,” she replied, far too quickly, stuffing her mouth with beans.

The rest of breakfast went much the same way, Gold and Belle talking about anything but the elephant in the room. After that, Belle decided to go on a short hike whilst Gold caught up with some work, giving them time to reflect on the embarrassing events of that morning in the comfort of their own heads, without having to worry about avoiding the gaze of the other.

When she returned, Belle set to work on reading the huge pile of books she had bought. Gold decided to join her, and suggested that they take a short walk from the house with camping chairs and read them under the clouds. They sat beside each other, occasionally conversing before heading back to the comfortable silence of their respective books.

When Gold felt his stomach rumble, he realised how late it had become, and he instructed Belle to wait outside whilst he went back to fetch a few things. He returned with a picnic hamper in hand, filled with a few sandwiches, fruit and muffins.

“A man of surprises aren’t you!” she exclaimed as she opened it. He felt a small surge of pride.

“It’s not much,” he shrugged. “It’s just a few things I brought with me when I arrived.”

“A Scottish breakfast and a picnic in one day,” she continued. “I’m telling you, I could do with a man like you at home.”

They tucked into their food and watched as the sun set beneath the mountains, casting an orange glow across the land.

“I didn’t even realise how late it was getting. This trip is going too fast,” said Belle. Gold hummed in agreement.

He hadn’t initially intended to spend Belle’s honeymoon – if you could still call it that – with her, but she seemed to enjoy his company and he enjoyed hers. It was nice to be around such a positive energy – especially when he was so used to being around such imbeciles at home. It wasn’t often that one could just sit and enjoy another’s presence without feeling the obligation to fill the silence with meaningless small talk. Then again, perhaps the comfort was just a side effect of the fact that they had shared a bed.

“It’s meant to be a clear night tomorrow,” he said. “If you want, I could show you the stars. There’s no light pollution for miles so you can see hundreds of them, it’s beautiful.”

“I’d love that!” she beamed. “Is there anything we can do when we get back? Have you got any board games, monopoly or something?”

“Luckily for you, no, because I would thrash you at monopoly,” he replied, matter-of-factly. “I could set up on the DVD player, I’ve got a few movies back at the cabin.”

When they finished their food, they packed the picnic up and made their way back. Belle busied herself looking through the collection of movies on the shelf whilst he sorted out the leads behind the TV. He heard her giggling to herself.

“I didn’t have you down as a Mary Poppins fan… oh my gosh, is that Bridget Jones?” she teased.

“I didn’t handpick them,” he said indignantly, straightening up and joining her search. “I just bought a random selection to furnish the place for guests.” She picked out another, the cover illustrating the silhouette of a madman with a chainsaw behind three cliché looking students.

“’ _A tranquil weekend break in the highlands turns horrific as three college students discover the truth behind the cabin’s remoteness.’_ Nice choice. Very suitable for guests in a cabin,” she said sarcastically, rolling her eyes with a smirk.

“Whoever chooses to watch a movie as frighteningly dull as that sounds deserves to feel uncomfortable here.”

“Come on,” she egged him on. “Anybody would think you’re scared. Let’s watch it.”

“It doesn’t sound like it has much plot,” he said, weakly. She sniggered.

“It’s just a bit of fun,” she said, tilting her head in a plea. “Besides, it’s that, or _Hairspray_.”

If he was being completely honest, it wasn’t so much that horror movies scared him as it was that he was sensitive to jump scares, and he didn’t want Belle thinking he was a coward. Still, the fact remained that she had challenged him, and he couldn’t back out of that now. He had to prove that a horror movie wouldn’t get the better of him.

He put a few logs in the fireplace and set it alight so that they had a bit of warmth as Belle put the movie in. He took a seat on the sofa next to Belle, and prepared himself for the poorly written movie that they were about to watch together.

As predicted, the movie didn’t have a strong plot; although that judgement may have been due to the fact that he was directing his attention to the music and the background of the scenes, on lookout for scares, so that he could maintain his air of indifference around Belle.

The fire had begun to dwindle so he retrieved a blanket for them, making a condescending remark about the movie in the process. Belle chuckled, and then it went silent again.

He kept glancing at her out of the corner of his eye, the flicker of the TV the only light that illuminated the concentration on her face and her hand resting on top of the blanket beside her lap.

She was adorable, really. And Gold didn’t use that word lightly. He had realised that when reflecting on his actions: if it had been somebody else who had arrived at his cabin then he would have settled for the long trip back to Glasgow – or even have outright commanded that they found somewhere else to stay. Belle, however, seemed slightly tolerable from the outset. Her sense of wonder was contagious and made him want to get out and explore too. And then there was when she had suggested they share a bed. True, this sofa was unbearably uncomfortable and he wouldn’t have slept a wink, but that was beside the point. How could he have denied the invitation to share a bed with a beautiful woman?

He darted his eyes back to her hand, feeling the butterflies in his stomach having a god damn party. He could just reach across and hold it: a simple gesture to determine if anything was there – if she felt anything back.

He put his own hand on top of the covers and slowly glided it across, one agonising inch followed by the next. Then he stopped. There was no more than a centimetre in the gap between their hands, but it may as well have been a shark infested river for all that Gold was concerned. He was a coward, and watching all the horror movies in the world couldn’t prove that otherwise.

He sighed and looked back up at the movie, internally cursing at himself. It was at that moment that a woman let out a blood-curdling scream from his TV, which made him jump out of his skin and involuntarily whack Belle with the hand that had previously rested innocently beside her.

“I’m so sorry,” he gasped, turning towards her. “I wasn’t… did I hurt you?”

“No,” she replied, and to his relief she was laughing at him. A lot. Well, that certainly killed the mood. “You _are_ scared.”

“No, I am not,” he said, adamantly. “She screamed out of nowhere. That would have made anybody jump.”

“Aw, you poor thing,” she cooed, in a mock sympathetic tone. “There, there. You’re safe here.” Through her teasing she had put a hand on top of his, and whatever retort he’d been ready to say had been forgotten.

She turned her attention back to the movie but her hand didn’t move, and he relished in the warmth from her small hand radiating his. The build-up of nerves that he felt previously turned into excitement instead, and he found that despite his best efforts, he couldn’t direct his attention back to the movie.

He realised just how completely focused on their hands he had been, when another jump scare popped up, and he didn’t even realise. The only indication that it had happened at all was how Belle suddenly flinched – though not as extravagantly as he had done the previous time, he noted. He decided to use the situation to his advantage.

“Feeling a little frightened?” he said, adapting the same tone that she had minutes before. “Bless. You’re safe with me.” He popped an arm around her and pulled her in close, which she seemed to find funny. Like her, he didn’t pull away once the moment had passed, and she remained in his arms.

His heart could have leapt a mile. _She hadn’t pulled away!_ She was resting into his chest and he suddenly wondered whether she could feel how fast his heart was beating. Not that that would have been the most intimate part of his body she had felt today…

The rest of the movie flew by and for the life of him he couldn’t have recalled a single scene from it, for the fact that he was revelling in how she was snuggled up to him. He realised that she must have zoned out at some point too, because when the credits rolled up she made no motion to move, and so neither did he.

He grabbed the remote and turned the TV off, and squeezed Belle into him. She made a soft murmur of contentment and remained relaxed against him.

He had no concept of time passing by until he heard her snore gently into his chest. He decided to cut short his small fantasy, and shook her gently to wake her up.

“You should go to bed,” he advised, and she made a small hum. “Come on.”

He guided her into the bedroom and turned his back as she got changed, stripping to his underwear himself. He was slightly concerned that she wouldn’t want to stay in the same bed as him after that morning, but she hadn’t voiced any complaints and so nor did he suggest otherwise.

Once he heard her get under the covers he turned off the lights and joined her. Immediately he missed the comfort of her body, and so he took the leap of courage he had been trying to summon earlier that evening, and scooted over to her until he was spooning up against her, an arm draped around her waist.

“Is this okay?” he asked, aware that she might not appreciate a man in his underwear snuggling up to her.

“Yeah,” she breathed, resting one of her arms over his in reassurance.

It wasn’t long before sleep took her once more. He heard the sound of her soft snores, although he wasn’t quite ready to join her yet. Not whilst he could appreciate the feel of her body against his.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Note the change in Rating!
> 
> I really loved writing this chapter which is probably reflected in how it's longer than the others. Hope you enjoy!!

“Just a little further.”

Belle must have heard that at least a dozen times by now as Gold guided her, blindfolded, up a steep hill. He’d instructed her to keep the blindfold on the moment they had left the house. They drove a short distance and he held her hand as they commenced their hike up the hill.

The day passed rather quickly. They’d woken in the same position they had fallen asleep in, Gold’s arms still snugly wrapped around her. The events of the day had been simple enough, yet made far more exciting by the lingering glances and the trivial excuses they had made to rest their hands on the other.

And this is where the day had taken them: to a hill in the middle of the night. Despite his efforts to play it off like it was just another plan, Belle could tell he’d been giddy with anticipation all day to show her the stars.

She felt the ground become more even beneath her feet, and then his arms let go of her as they came to a halt. He instructed her to wait, and she heard him fumbling around with a few objects. Then, she felt him behind her, untying the blindfold to show her the vast sight before her.

She brought a hand to her mouth and took a step back into his arms. The night sky was coated in thousands of sparking stars, like somebody had sprinkled glitter across the sky. The sheet behind them consisted of a dozen shades of dark blue, the twinkling lights illuminating some areas more than others. The black silhouettes of mountains and trees slept underneath.

She realised she hadn’t said a word when she heard his chuckling behind her. She joined in although she wasn’t quite sure what they were laughing at.

“Overwhelming, isn’t it?” he whispered. She nodded and looked down to see the sets of blankets he had laid down for them.

She tried to find something to say, but after three attempts of trying to open her mouth and find the words, she gave up. He laughed again and sat down on the blankets, gesturing for her to do the same.

“I brought some camping hot chocolate too,” he said as he pulled out plastic cups with hot chocolate powder inside, and a flask of hot water to fill them. He handed her one and she felt tears blur her vision as the perfection of the moment caught up with her.

“It’s beautiful,” she managed. They sat and looked at the night sky together, taking in the moment without any words necessary. Once they finished their drinks, they led down on the blanket side by side and wrapped another blanket on top of them. She felt his hand, still warm from holding the hot chocolate, take hers.

“Did you know, there are more stars in our universe than there are grains of sand on the earth,” he told her. “And do you know how many grains of sand there are? Around four-hundred thousand in a handful. Trust me, I’ve looked it up.”

Belle giggled.  _What a nerd._

“Do you know any constellations?” she asked.

“I do, as a matter of fact. I know the stories behind them too. Do you want me to teach you a few?” he replied, and she nodded. There was a brief silence, in which Belle presumed he was structuring his thoughts, then he pointed in a vague area of the sky.

“You see the Plough just there? The one that looks like a frying pan? If you can see the legs coming from that, that’s ursa major, the great bear. You see, Jupiter fell in love with a beautiful maiden named Callisto, and she gave birth to his son. Jupiter’s wife, Juno, wasn’t too pleased about it, so she cursed Callisto and turned her into a bear. When Callisto’s son grew up he went on a hunt and almost killed who he didn’t realise was his mother, but Jupiter showed mercy to them, and sent them both to the stars instead. So, there she is. You can see her boy just above her, there. Ursa minor.”

“Wow,” breathed Belle. “She should have turned Jupiter into a bear instead.”

“Yes, well. Jupiter learned to hide his affairs better after that. Can you see Taurus just there, that little cluster with two stars above it? That’s the face of a bull, the form he took to seduce other women. The famous story behind that one is when he charmed Europa in his bull form on a beach. She was enchanted by how placid and gentle he was, and climbed on his back. They swap out to sea, and when they got back to land he revealed his true form. He seduced her with a dog that could outrun any prey, which you can see just… there.”

He brought her hand up and pointed it himself to a particularly bright star.

“That’s Sirius, the brightest star in the sky. That’s the chest of the dog, Canis major, his head and body coming from it. Of course, he’s the guard dog of Orion now. He’s just there.” He moved her hand to the constellation just beside it. “That’s one of my personal favourites. The greatest warrior in the land, although his muscles weren’t as big as his ego. In response to his vanity he got killed by a mere Scorpion.”

“Sounds like my ex,” muttered Belle.

“Back to Taurus over there, you see the seven stars clustered in the middle? That’s the Seven Sisters. Jupiter sent them to the stars to avoid the seduction of Orion. He’s still trying to pursue them now, even in the stars.”

“It’s like a book in the sky,” she marvelled in wonder. “How do you know all of this?”

He shrugged modestly.

“I used to take my son stargazing, a few miles outside Glasgow. It used to take his mind off things.”

“What things?”

“Mainly the fact that his mother left. He never let on that it bothered him, but I know it must have. It was always at night-time that he’d run out of things to distract himself with and go quiet – you know how the night tends to exaggerate things. He never wanted to talk about it. So, I bought him a telescope and told him the stories of the stars instead.”

“It must have been hard for you, bringing up your son by yourself.”

“Not really, he said. “He always made it so easy. Sometimes it felt like he was the one looking after me. It was a bit of a shock how empty it felt when he moved to London, but he comes back a lot. For my benefit rather than his, I’m sure.”

“I bet you’re really proud of him.”

“I am.”

She’d been trying to hide it for a while, not wanting to ruin the moment, but her chattering teeth gave away how cold she felt. The sound seemed to alert Gold at once, for he immediately sat up and looked at her with concern.

“Are you cold? Do you want to go back?” he asked, his eyes filled with worry. Belle felt her heart melt at how responsive he was to her needs.

“No, no,” she said, quickly. “Maybe I could just do with another blanket… or maybe we could cuddle up together? To keep a bit warmer?”

He looked a little shy at her suggestion, but he smiled and led down, holding his arm out for her to snuggle in closer. He tucked a blanket more firmly around her and in an instant the cold seemed a hundred times more bearable.

“This is much better,” she noted.

“Yes.”

His hand rubbed her arm affectionately, and suddenly she found herself laughing into his side. He didn’t say anything to begin with but when she didn’t stop he voiced his confusion with a sheepish, “what?”

“It’s just, this wasn’t how I imagined my honeymoon. At all,” she giggled. “Cuddling under the night sky with a Scotsman. I’m glad it did go like this, though. You’ve made it perfect,” she said, as she drew circles on his chest. Whether he could feel it through all the layers he was wearing, she wasn’t sure.

“I’m glad my peaceful week alone ended up like this too. Even if I did have to endure that terrible movie last night.”

“Oh,  _please_ ,” she said, cheekily. “You were so terrified that you needed a cuddle in bed.”

There was a silence and she heard him swallow.

“That… wasn’t because I was scared, Belle,” he said, slowly. “That was… well, I like you. A lot.” His hand drifted into her hair and played with it absent-mindedly.

Belle couldn’t stop grinning if she tried. She had known, of course. She could tell by the way he looked at her. She had felt more cared for by Gold in the last few days than she had from Gaston in the years they were together.

“I like you, too,” she replied. She felt Gold’s chest relax under her weight.

“Oh, Belle,” he whispered. He scooted down so that they were face-to-face, her head resting on his arm and his other hand on her cheek. He leant forward and she closed her eyes as she felt him place a kiss on her lips. She pressed back into him then felt him break the kiss and clear his throat.

“Sorry. I’m… a little out of practice,” he muttered, sheepishly. “I haven’t kissed anybody since… well, since my marriage ended.”

“If it’s any reassurance, I wouldn’t have guessed. That was…” she struggled to find the words.

“Yes,” he agreed. “Can we…?”

She didn’t let him finish his sentence before she found his lips again and pressed herself closer to his body. She heard him fail to suppress a groan and felt him squeeze her against him, his fingers drawing patterns on her neck.

She undid a few of the buttons on his coat, slipped her hand inside and rested it against the warm fabric on his chest. His tongue swept against the seam of her lips and she parted them for him. She gasped at the contact of his tongue on hers, dancing together in a slow but passionate rhythm. He slipped his hand underneath her top slightly – and it was  _cold_.

She gasped and pulled back and he immediately looked guilty. He retracted his hand and held it up in a surrender.

“I’m sorry,” he babbled. “I didn’t – I thought you’d want me to, I got it wrong-”

“Calm down,” she said, placing a reassuring hand on his cheek. “That was fine, it’s just that you have really cold hands.”

“Oh,” he mumbled, then chuckled in relief. “Sorry about that. It is getting very cold; shall we head back?”

They picked up all of their belongings, and Belle took one last look at the stars over the mountains before they headed back to the cabin.

Once Gold was back in his signature underwear, and Belle in her pyjamas, they got into the warm sheets of his bed. They gave each other one last kiss goodnight, and Belle turned around so that Gold could spoon up against her. She tried getting to sleep, but that soon proved very difficult. The events of the night kept playing in her mind. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d felt so wanted.

Apparently, Gold was having similar problems settling his mind because after only five minutes of being in the dark together he asked, “are you still awake?”

“Yeah,” she whispered back. She felt his hand on the bottom of her pyjama top and inch up underneath it on her bare skin.

“Is this okay?” he sought approval, a little breathlessly. She nodded. He slid it up a little further until it rested on the underside of her breast. When he made no movement to go any further, she brought her hand to his and pushed it up a little further, encouraging him until he was holding her breast comfortably in his hand. He gasped and started palming her, rolling her nipple between his fingers. She could hear him breathing heavily into her neck and she pushed back into him, letting out a soft moan.

“Are we moving too quickly?” he said.

She thought about it for a moment. If it was anybody else, she’d have insisted they waited before they moved to the next step of their relationship. With Gold, however, the situation seemed completely different. Besides, all she could think about right now was his hand on her, and how she didn’t want him to let go.

“I’m only here for a few more days,” she replied. “Maybe we shouldn’t go too far just yet, but why don’t we make the most of the time we have?”

“And what do you have in mind for now?”

She turned around so that she was facing him, his hand sliding to the skin on her back.

“We could use our hands,” she suggested, pulling him in for another kiss. It took a few minutes for his lips to catch up to the moment, but once they did he responded eagerly. She felt him slide his hand down her back and into the waistband of her underwear, pulling her into his hardening length and letting out a soft groan. She wrapped a leg around him and pulled him in closer, rubbing against him.

“You don’t know how much I’ve imagined this,” he muttered. “Ever since you came out that bathroom with that towel lazily wrapped around your body.  _God_ , I couldn’t stop thinking about what was underneath…”

“It wasn’t lazily wrapped around me!” she laughed. “It was secure.”

“I can’t believe I’m actually touching you like this. Can you feel how hard I am? Can I…” He moved his hand to the front of her pyjama bottoms, looking at her for permission. She nodded and his breathing became shallower as he fumbled inside and found her folds. She moaned and bucked into his hand at the same time that he let out a whimper. “Turn around again,” he begged.

She complied, turning so that her back was to him, and he settled against her, hands quickly returning to where they left. He gave her a few slow strokes, spreading her juices. He found her clit and rubbed his fingers against it. Belle let out a cry and rocked back into him, her hand on his so that he wouldn’t move it away, although she was sure he wouldn’t.

“I kept thinking of my mouth on your breasts, sucking and kissing every inch of your skin…  _fuck_ , you’re so wet, Belle. I can’t believe it.”

“You’ve really… come out of your shell… haven’t you?” panted Belle, in between the shocks of pleasure he was giving her. “I never had you for such a… dirty talker…”

“I haven’t been before,” he admitted. “I just need you to know how much I’m appreciating this. It’s like being in a dream.”

“So, you’re a sweet talker too,” she teased.

“For you, I can be anything,” he growled. He rolled on top of her and she helped him discard of her pyjamas to give him better access. He repositioned his hand so that his thumb was resting on her clit as his finger found her entrance, and looked at her for consent. Belle nodded and threw her head back in pleasure as she felt him push in and out of her, massaging her walls and rubbing her clit.

She looked down at him, his face absorbed in the sight of his fingers on her.

“Another,” she panted, getting closer and closer to the edge. Without a second delay, he added a second finger.

“God, Belle. You’re so hot and wet… I wonder what it would feel like, to have you squeezing tight around my cock as you come. Would you like that? My cock deep inside you as you let go? Give me a taste of it, Belle. Let me feel you come around my hand…”

He picked up the pace, his fingers moving slick and fast inside her. He moved his head up to her breasts and took one in his mouth, teasing her nipple with his tongue. That was enough for Belle, who saw stars almost as brilliant as the ones they had saw together. Her hips shook with the force of her orgasm washing over her. Gold brought his lips to hers and she rode out the last of it with his tongue caressing hers.

Gold slowed down the movement of his fingers until he brought them away completely. He brought them to his lips and sucked her juices from them. He nuzzled her neck softly as she caught her breath.

“That was beautiful,” he mumbled into her. “You’re beautiful.”

“What would you like to do now?” she asked, cradling his head between her hands as he looked at her with nothing but upmost adoration.

“I was thinking maybe… if you’d let me, I could just rock against you,” he said, tentatively. Belle smiled and nodded, bringing her arms around his neck and pulling him in as he shunted his hips into hers. She wrapped her legs around his waist and felt his fully erect cock straining against his boxers. She brought a hand down to stroke him through the fabric.

“Oh,” he whimpered, weakly. He thrust against her hand a few times until he stopped and looked at her, pleadingly. “Can I… can I take it out?”

“Let me,” replied Belle, reaching into his underwear and touching him for the first time. Gold began breathing fast, clenching his eyes shut as she held his member, hot and heavy, in her hand.

He began rocking against her again, cock slipping through Belle’s hand as she kissed all around his cheek. His thrusts became more erratic and she could feel the leak of precum on her hand.

“I’m so lucky,” he muttered. “That someone like you… would want to do _this_ … with _me_.”

“Shh,” she hushed. “Stop talking. Just feel the moment.” He obeyed and brought a hand back to lightly squeeze her breast. “You’re talking nonsense anyway. Of all the things you’ve showed me in Scotland, my favourite part has been being with you. That’s not luck, it’s chemistry.”

He let out another whimper and she tightened her grip around his cock, which was now as hard as a rock between them.

“I’m gonna come,” he gasped. Seconds later he groaned as he let out the tension in thick white spurts across her exposed stomach. He panted above her and kissed her with all the effort he could muster before he fell to the side.

After only a few moments he quickly got to his feet, instructing her to stay still as he hurried to the bathroom. He came back with a few tissues and wiped the come from her stomach, mumbling an apology. Belle smiled at how thoughtful he was and gestured for him to come back to bed after he disposed of the tissues.

Once he was back, she snuggled into his chest and let him play with her hair. All she could think about was how she couldn’t wait to see what tomorrow would bring, and that had nothing to do with being on a holiday. Sleeping didn’t seem like such a task after that, and she let herself drift away with him.


End file.
